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Argentina to Set Minimum Wage by Decree After Talks Collapse

A wide gap between steep union demands versus minimal employer offers stalled the wage council, prompting a unilateral fix.

Overview

  • The government said it will publish a decree setting a new Salario Mínimo Vital y Móvil after the council failed to reach consensus, without announcing the amount or start date.
  • Employer chambers proposed raising the floor from about $326,000 now to $349,000 in April, while the CGT and CTA sought $553,000 by April and the CTA Autónoma pushed for $736,000.
  • The current minimum stands near $322,000, below the October Canasta Básica Total of about $392,815, and its purchasing power has fallen roughly 35% since the start of the Milei administration, according to CIFRA.
  • Unions and social organizations rallied outside the Secretaría de Trabajo, condemning the decree route and urging an update to match basic needs and a year‑end bonus.
  • Any change will ripple through benefits indexed to the SMVM, and the move extends a pattern of decree‑setting after a labor court compelled the government to reconvene the wage council.